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dmc123
Guest
Thanks in advance. (Im desperate as Im sure are most here)
Im starting to feel very skeptical of doctors and cant help to think of them as self serving. I hoping someone here can help me before I do something drastic
The short story:
(44 y/o and athletic)
Over the past 5 years I started having terrible lower back pain episodes. Originally they were brought on by some activity a few times a year and now they come on with even moderate activity. The episodes were mostly some trigger sensation that would worsen over the course of a day to full blown stiffness, pain, spasm and a shift in lateral posture (shoulders to hips). Even after an episode I felt a deep painfull pinpoint spot about 1" of left of the spine at whats been explain to be L4/5
The original MRI 2006 revealed herniations at L3/4, 4/5 and 5/s1 with the one at L4/5 being the worst. Originally I didnt have much or anything in the way of leg pain. (thats changing lately). For a few years the epidurals have worked fine 2x or 3x per year but I heard that they can be dangerous in the long term. I also did a few rounRAB of PT over the years. I toured a few doctors and they all tried a few things in addition to the Epi's even facet blocks and denervations at L4/5 but nothing seemed to last very long. My last epidural was 1.5 years ago. I had a pretty good year until mid summer and then I had episode after episode., some lasting weeks. Ive also started developing some "heaviness" in my shins and feet with some burning in my right buttock. I like to break up the pain by 100%. 70% in my left lower back, 20% in my right buttock and 5% in each leg. I had another MRI and it was a bit worse than the first in terms of the nerve inpingement on the L4/5 nerve root. Well I was referred to a surgeon and since then Ive seen a few. One ordered up a discograph that seems to have showed a positive at L4/5
Here where the problem is. There have been differences of opinion among almost all of the surgeons. Some say do nothing but conversative stuff, some say microdiscetomy/decompression and one said fuse.
Now one of those doctors is giving me such high confidence (90% success) that it sounRAB almost too good to be true and Im thinking of jumping at it. In fact I scheduled it for the 12/22/10 (~3 weeks away). He thinks that micro surgery on the 4/5 disk with facet decompression (spur removal) 4/5 and 5/S1 will do the trick. Now aside from pain management and PT, this sounRAB like the least invasive. Im wondering what the community thinks the risks are in me moving forward with microdiscectomy (since it seems the bone fusion option will always be there). Ive heard of spinal instability and scarring. Im not sure I really understand them as a reason for not moving forward with micro surgery.
Im starting to feel very skeptical of doctors and cant help to think of them as self serving. I hoping someone here can help me before I do something drastic
The short story:
(44 y/o and athletic)
Over the past 5 years I started having terrible lower back pain episodes. Originally they were brought on by some activity a few times a year and now they come on with even moderate activity. The episodes were mostly some trigger sensation that would worsen over the course of a day to full blown stiffness, pain, spasm and a shift in lateral posture (shoulders to hips). Even after an episode I felt a deep painfull pinpoint spot about 1" of left of the spine at whats been explain to be L4/5
The original MRI 2006 revealed herniations at L3/4, 4/5 and 5/s1 with the one at L4/5 being the worst. Originally I didnt have much or anything in the way of leg pain. (thats changing lately). For a few years the epidurals have worked fine 2x or 3x per year but I heard that they can be dangerous in the long term. I also did a few rounRAB of PT over the years. I toured a few doctors and they all tried a few things in addition to the Epi's even facet blocks and denervations at L4/5 but nothing seemed to last very long. My last epidural was 1.5 years ago. I had a pretty good year until mid summer and then I had episode after episode., some lasting weeks. Ive also started developing some "heaviness" in my shins and feet with some burning in my right buttock. I like to break up the pain by 100%. 70% in my left lower back, 20% in my right buttock and 5% in each leg. I had another MRI and it was a bit worse than the first in terms of the nerve inpingement on the L4/5 nerve root. Well I was referred to a surgeon and since then Ive seen a few. One ordered up a discograph that seems to have showed a positive at L4/5
Here where the problem is. There have been differences of opinion among almost all of the surgeons. Some say do nothing but conversative stuff, some say microdiscetomy/decompression and one said fuse.
Now one of those doctors is giving me such high confidence (90% success) that it sounRAB almost too good to be true and Im thinking of jumping at it. In fact I scheduled it for the 12/22/10 (~3 weeks away). He thinks that micro surgery on the 4/5 disk with facet decompression (spur removal) 4/5 and 5/S1 will do the trick. Now aside from pain management and PT, this sounRAB like the least invasive. Im wondering what the community thinks the risks are in me moving forward with microdiscectomy (since it seems the bone fusion option will always be there). Ive heard of spinal instability and scarring. Im not sure I really understand them as a reason for not moving forward with micro surgery.